Dave Manders

Last updated
Dave Manders
No. 51
Position: Center
Personal information
Born: (1941-02-20) February 20, 1941 (age 83)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school:Kingsford (MI)
College: Michigan State
Undrafted: 1962
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:139
Games started:73
Fumble recoveries:1
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR

David Francis Manders (born February 20, 1941) is an American former professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL) from 1964 through 1974. He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans. He graduated from Kingsford High School and played in two Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys, winning one.

Contents

Early years

Dave Manders played football at Kingsford High School, where he was named all-state and lineman of the year as a senior. He also set an Upper Peninsula of Michigan shot put record. His number 51 is only one of three numbers retired by the school, along with Dick Berlinski, who also played football at Michigan State, and Tim Kearney.

In 1980, he was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame. [1]

College career

Manders went on to play at Michigan State University in 1959, where he was a two-way player, playing center on offense and linebacker on defense.

During his college career, he was among the team leaders in tackles, even though he experienced leg injuries in his last two years. As a sophomore, he was a third-team All-Big Ten selection and became an All-American honorable mention after his senior year.

Professional career

Manders was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as a rookie undrafted free agent in 1962 to play linebacker, but quit the team during rookie camp after just three days.

After spending 1963 playing semi-pro football in the United Football League for the Toledo Tornadoes, Manders called the Cowboys front office and asked for another chance, he signed in December 1963 and made the team the next year as a center. [2] [3]

Nicknamed "Dog" by his teammates, he was quick, strong and had huge legs. He was always considered to be one of the hardest-working players on the team. In 1965 his second season in the NFL, he became the Cowboys starting center replacing Mike Connelly.

In 1966 he became the first franchise offensive lineman named to the Pro Bowl. In 1967 during pre-season, he suffered a career-threatening right knee injury and missed the entire season, upon his return he served as a backup to Mike Connelly and Malcolm Walker, until he returned to form and took his job back in 1970.

He was a starter in the Cowboys first Super Bowl – Super Bowl V, held in Miami on January 17 1971 against the Baltimore Colts. He was also involved in one of the game's controversial plays, when the Cowboys Duane Thomas fumbled the ball on the Colts two-yard line, and although Manders recovered the ball, the officials still awarded it to the Colts, who won their first Super Bowl as Jim O'Brien kicked a 32-yard field goal with time running out for a 16-13 victory.

He was the starter in the Cowboys first championship team in franchise history, that won Super Bowl VI in 1972. In 1973, he retired due to a contract dispute, but by the month of September, he was back working out with the team. He played in the majority of games during that season, although John Fitzgerald was the starter at center for the Cowboys. He continued splitting time with Fitzgerald until his retirement at the end of the 1974 season. [4]

Manders was a captain and a key component in a Cowboys offensive line that dominated the NFL for a decade and won 2 NFC Championships and 1 Super Bowl.

Related Research Articles

Super Bowl V was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Colts and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys to determine the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1970 season. It was the fifth edition of the Super Bowl and the first modern-era NFL championship game. The Colts defeated the Cowboys by the score of 16–13 on a field goal with 5 seconds left in the game. The game was played on January 17, 1971, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, and was the first Super Bowl game played on artificial turf; specifically, the game was played on a Poly-Turf surface.

Charles Lewis Haley is an American former professional football player who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys (1992–1996).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flozell Adams</span> American football player (born 1975)

Flozell Justin Adams is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans. He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 1998 NFL draft, and also played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Adams was a five-time Pro Bowl selection.

David Monroe Edwards was an American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Auburn University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Preston Pearson</span> American football player (born 1945)

Preston James Pearson is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Baltimore Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys. He played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph Neely</span> American football player (1943–2022)

Ralph Eugene Neely was an American professional football player who was an offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League (NFL). He played 13 seasons and 172 games for the Cowboys from 1965 to 1977.

Bobby E. Abrams Jr. is a former American football player. He played college football as defensive back and linebacker for the University of Michigan from 1986 to 1989. He played professional football in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons as a linebacker and special teams player for the New York Giants (1990–1992, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots. He won three Super Bowl titles with the Giants and the Cowboys, all over the Buffalo Bills.

Thomas Michael Rafferty is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for head coach Joe Paterno at Penn State University.

Herbert Carnell Scott is an American former professional football player who was a guard and offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Virginia Union Panthers, earning All-Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association three times.

John Hugh Niland is an American former professional football player who was an offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All-Pro. He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Ray Canute Donaldson is an American former professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL) for the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenn Ressler</span> American football player (born 1943)

Glenn Emanuel "Zeke" Ressler is an American former football offensive lineman who played in the National Football League (NFL) from 1965 through 1974 for the Baltimore Colts.

Patrick Emery Donovan is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Stanford Cardinal. Sports Illustrated named him the fourth greatest Montana athlete of the 20th century.

Matthew James Vanderbeek is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins. He played college football at Michigan State University.

Timothy Edward Kearney is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and St. Louis Cardinals. He played college football at Northern Michigan University.

Walter Jackson Burkett was an American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Baltimore Colts, New Orleans Saints, and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Auburn University.

Don Larry Talbert is a former American football offensive tackle who played eight years, interrupted by two years in Vietnam, in the National Football League (NFL) for the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys including the Super Bowl VI champion Cowboys. Prior to that he was an All-American college football at the University of Texas at Austin.

Michael James Connelly was an American professional football player who was an offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at Utah State University and was drafted in the 12th round of the 1959 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams.

Frank Edgar Cornish IV was an American football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Diego Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Philadelphia Eagles. He was selected in the sixth round of the 1990 NFL Draft. He played college football at UCLA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zack Martin</span> American football player (born 1990)

Zachary Edward Martin is an American football guard for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and was selected by the Cowboys in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft. Named to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, Martin has made nine Pro Bowl and nine All-Pro teams.

References

  1. ↑ "Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame" . Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Dallas Signs Manders" . Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  3. ↑ "I've Heard" . Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Manders To Retire" . Retrieved February 19, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.